The Art of Crushing Newspaper Journalists

The Hindustan Times Group in Delhi provides a classic example of how trade unions have been crushed in newspapers to deny journalists and press workers their rights and dues. It also shows how the Group mastered the art of reducing journalism to a profession of contract labourers, killing all statutory trade union rights, after ruthlessly crushing one of the strongest plant unions. All this was timed to kill the statutory wage board award that set off a country wide trend among other newspapers. Here is a brief account of what happened then - and continues to happen now.

Flash Back

Visualize this scenario. In 2004, the Hindustan Times Group sacked more than 390 workers overnight on Gandhi Jayanti Day, and publicized the next day. This was followed by marching orders to over 15 journalists and some press workers. Next it started targeting a number of other permanent journalists including activists, getting rid of them in phases. And finally, using an armoury of coercive weapons like transfers (even to areas where there were no offices), limited time contracts, VRS offers, back-dated contracts and a virtual management-declared emergency, the Group tackled remaining workers and journalists, to get rid of all permanent posts.

There were other tricks too, often brought before various authorities. For instance, unprecedented in the newspaper industry, the Hindustan Times management became the first to declare its own state of emergency. As a 2005 petition to then Chairman Press Council, Justice GN Ray, by both the  Delhi Union of Journalists and HT plant union put it : “Your honour, we had been requesting for suo moto action by the learned Chairman and had also subsequently pressed for intervention by your council. Today, once again this time jointly with the Hindustan Times Employees Union representatives we call for your immediate intervention. It is our contention that a state of emergency has been declared in the Hindustan Times Group at Kasturba Gandhi Marg.  As we had said in our petition to you dated 7th October, 2005 a plethora of unconstitutional activities curbing the freedom of the press as well as the freedom of association enshrined in Article 19 (1) (a) & (c) of the Constitution of India had taken place. On the ground, what has taken place is a state of emergency declared not by the government or any other body but by the managers of Hindustan Times.”….. 

“As far as the freedom of the press is concerned it is no longer existent in any form whatsoever.  Spy cameras flood the editorial rooms and even the roof, acting as a deterrent to journalists to meet their contacts and even to discuss political issues in a free and fair atmosphere.  In the past three months the journalists have become targets of a flood of contract proposals which itself, constitute a serious encroachment on the freedom of the press.  These contracts are selective and generally short term to reduce journalists to bondage and insecurity.  Not only this at in one step four journalists have been victimized through transfer.  Two of them were Senior Editorial Writers, who have been transferred to places from where there is no edition of the paper.  What can editors write about in a city without edition!  ……

It is our contention that a new situation has been created opening the flood gates for serious curbs on freedom of the press in the Hindustan Times group with its chain ramifications in the entire newspaper industry.  Ripples can be seen in other newspapers in Delhi…..”

Enter Nicholsan Henderson

The Chairman was also told that: “A grand operation was executed in the Hindustan Times in the past two years.  In the first step it is: exit 362 employees and enter companies like Nicholson Henderson and HT Media Ltd.  Now it is the preparation to say welcome to HT Media journalists from Hindustan Times; forget Hindustan Times and your jobs; depending on our likes and dislikes, stay for short periods and sign on the dotted line or get ready to be sacked immediately or sit in a special room with designation changed or without work till we can get rid of you.  At present over hundred journalists at gunpoint are in bondage bond to the management and contracts.  Editors on request of managers have to issue instructions cutting colleagues to size.  Simultaneously, a variety of voluntary retirement formulas are floating around.  In round number one two years ago it was 362 workers on the road.  Today their freedom of association is confined to sitting 50 yards away while cameras click scribes from inside and outside who come even to see what is happening.  One day it is a flood of Group 4 security inside and the police or the rapid action force outside.  How much money has gone into this operation which is openly said to cost more than Rs.8 crores? Waiting on the wings are many grand projects.Three years ago Press baron Murdoch made a bid but left for greener pastures. Came Nicholson Henderson and now it is set for more foreign collaborators. We request your good self to initiate suo moto action or to call an emergency meeting of the Press Council…” 

Later, similar incidents of sacking of the senior journalists followed in various centers of Hindustan (Hindi) like Lucknow, Patna, Dehradun, Ranchi, Banaras, Muzaffarpur, Meerut, Kanpur and Agra. Those victimized in this manner included 15 from Patna, five each from Lucknow and Kanpur, six from Dehradun, three in Banaras, two each in Ranchi, Muzaffarpur and Agra.

Recent Events

Recently, the attack on journalists has been revived. Now new forms of dismissal are taking place. A former international affairs editor with Time magazine, joined HT as editor in July 2016 and quit in October 2017. Around this period, more than 250 journalists and non-journalists were sacked under his watch alone. Kolkata, Bhopal and Ranchi editions of HT were shut down on his orders. It is also said that even some senior journalists  who were employed by HT for more than five years on permanent posts are said to have left or retired voluntarily (or not so voluntarily). So now even editors have been shown the door in Kolkata, a business editor and a legal editor in Delhi, besides a special correspondent and two senior associate editor. Ironically some assistant editors were hounded out despite working on permanent posts or doing permanent jobs.

Indeed today, a virtual full circle has taken place since 2004: from the press workers, union activists, union office bearers to full time journalists, to chiefs of bureaus to well-known editors, everybody is on the roads. All this at a time when a new wage board for journalists and press workers is overdue. The National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ), the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the All India Newspaper Employees Federation (AINEF) and others have raised this issue. Open letters to members of Parliament have also been sent. In fact many bodies are demanding a wage board and job security for persons in TV and other media. Simultaneously hundreds of cases are pending throughout the country for non-implementation and mis-implementation of the previous award. The apex management body INS has already opposed such a demand and its units have already taken several steps to prevent it. More new companies have emerged as a camouflage. In this entire period, the Working Journalists Act was reduced to nothingness.

In short, first they came for the press workers and their strong plant union, then the permanent journalists, and then for contract journalists and others. Similar stratagems were followed in various states, while new editions were born and soon wound up.

According to latest figures available, of the more than 390 workers dismissed, at least 20 have died while their cases inched their way through the courts at various levels. Recently one senior journalist who was a poet as well, Satish Sagar, died after struggling it out in the courts. Till now, from 2004 onwards, more than a thousand journalists are on the roads, from this newspaper groups alone and more than a dozen journalists fighting cases along with more than 200 press workers who are almost on semi-starvation. From a day today struggle within the office to occasional dharnas, from victory in one court to a jolt in another, all form part of the story of how a union was crushed but some workers still fight it out. All this as management stratagems to divide and rule continue even amongst them. Today, a multiplicity of lawyers have mushroomed as cases continue.

Tailpiece

The Hindustan Times was entrusted to GD Birla by Mahatma Gandhi to run the paper effectively as an instrument of the freedom struggle.  It was associated with the likes of Pothan Joseph, Devdas Gandhi, freedom fighter C. P. Ramachandran and B. G.Verghese, who both fought jointly for press freedom in the dark phase of the emergency.  Ironically a prestigious national award had been given to the company boss for services rendered to the nation. One of these services would naturally include sacking at one stroke of the pen around 400 employees! Whose freedom? Whose order?

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsclick.